KenGen has completed construction of the 83 megawatts (MW) Olkaria 1 Unit 6 geothermal plant. This follows a successful delivery of full steam to the power plant, setting in motion technical processes to commercial operation which is expected by June 2022.
The plant which is expected to inject 83.3MW into the national grid is currently undergoing reliability tests to confirm its output. This is the final process signaling completion of construction period.
Chief Executive Officer Rebecca Miano says once operational, the plant will help reduce the cost of electricity in Kenya by displacing thermal energy while meeting the country’s growing demand for electricity.
The plant will also help support the government’s effort to achieve 100% utilization of renewable energy by 2030 as a way of fighting climate change.
Today, geothermal accounts for up to 39% of KenGen’s total installed generation capacity. With the additional 83MW, geothermal is expected to grow from the current 713MW to 796MW, thus pushing the share of KenGen’s geothermal installed capacity to about 42%.
KenGen has an installed generation capacity of 1,901MW, of which about 86% is drawn from green sources namely: Hydro (826MW), Geothermal (796MW), Thermal (253MW), and Wind (26MW).
The company is considered among the world’s top 10 geothermal energy producers with a geothermal installed capacity of 706 MW.
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